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Families of the McGurk’s Bar bombing have demanded a former British General is arrested after the discovery of a secret Army Log which they claim "confirms a long-held suspicion" he colluded with the RUC to cover up the attack.

Sir Frank Kitson, now 92, was Brigade Commander at the time of the atrocity on December 4 1971, which killed 15 people.

The document - a high-level British Military 39 Brigade Operations Log - was discovered by activist Ciaran MacAirt at the British National Archives in Kew.

The archived log was recorded at 1am on December 5 1971, less than five hours after the UVF attack.

The archive records that the order originated from ‘Bde Comd’ - the British military abbreviation for ‘Brigade Commander'.

An extract from the log discovered by archivist Ciaran MacAirt

It said: “RUC have a line that the bomb in the pub was a bomb designed to be used elsewhere, left in the pub to be picked up by Provisional IRA. Bomb went off and was a mistake. RUC press office have a line on it – NI should deal with them.”

Calling for independent investigators to be appointed to the case by the PSNI, Mr MacAirt, whose grandparents died in the attack, said: “This is absolutely critical evidence relating to the genesis of the McGurk’s Bar lie which blamed our loved ones for the massacre and allowed mass-murderers to roam free and murder again.

“This new evidence has clearly passed the threshold required to justify Kitson’s immediate questioning under caution.”

Niall O'Murchu, Ciaran MacAirt and Rosie Kinnear

Mr O’Murchu added the PSNI should not be involved in the investigation, citing a recent Court of Appeal judgement in the case of young mum Jean Smyth-Campbell which ruled the force’s legacy team lacked the ‘practical independence’ to probe the 1972 murder.

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"The PSNI has previously responded to the issues raised in the correspondence and have examined the material provided, including the military operation logs.

“The bombing was the subject of a review by the Historical Enquiries Team and an investigation by our Serious Crime Branch. There are ongoing judicial review proceedings concerning the HET report and PSNI will continue to cooperate fully with these proceedings."

The Assistant Chief Constable said there were currently no new lines of enquiry which would help bring to justice the accomplices of the UVF terrorist convicted in connection with the atrocity.

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He added: “If new evidence emerges, we will thoroughly examine it to establish if there are grounds for a further reinvestigation. I would appeal to anyone in possession of information or evidence which would help bring more people to justice to come forward.”

Among the 15 people who died when the loyalist bomb exploded at the North Queen Street bar in Belfast were two children, Maria McGurk, 14, and 13-year-old James Cromie.

In the hours after the attack security forces blamed the IRA, a claim that later proved to be untrue.

Earlier this year it emerged two of the so-called 'Hooded Men' had launched a lawsuit against the former senior general.

Liam Shannon and Jim Auld were among a group of men who claim they were subjected to torture at now defunct British Army barracks in Co Derry.

They also launched legal action against the estate of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath.

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